For Immediate Release
September 26, 2005

(Philadelphia, PA) – Friends of Libraries U.S.A. (FOLUSA) and Baker & Taylor have once again partnered with the American Library Association (ALA) to honor the Friends group with the most creative use of ALA’s @ your library® brand. Now in its fourth year, the $2,000 award is open to Friends groups of all sizes and types who are current FOLUSA members. Previously awarded at the ALA Annual Conference, the FOLUSA/Baker & Taylor Awards will now be presented during the ALA Midwinter Meeting.

The @ your library® brand is the centerpiece of The Campaign for America’s Libraries, ALA’s multi-year public awareness and advocacy campaign about the value of libraries, librarians and library workers in the 21st century.

"Working with ALA on the @ your library® campaign is the perfect partnership for Friends of Libraries U.S.A.," says Sally Reed, executive director, FOLUSA. "Friends are well positioned to carry the @ your library® message into their communities. Partnering with their libraries, Friends around the country are using this campaign to promote their libraries while strengthening ALA’s nationwide efforts."

Friends and Foundations of California Libraries received the 2003 award for their Library Lover’s Month @ your library® campaign. This campaign was designed so that its member library support groups could conduct themed promotional and fund raising campaigns within their communities. The official campaign logo -- @ your library® – was used for all materials thus helping to spread the national library brand throughout the state of California. The statewide campaign netted national recognition in The Ladies Home Journal and Scouting Magazine. The Library Lover’s Month @ your library® website received over 100,000 page views from over 20,000 unique visitors in January and February, 2003.

Friends of the Houston Public Library in Houston, Minnesota received the 2004 award for the best use of the @ your library® logo and campaign materials. The small village and surrounding area of approximately 1,500 people persuaded the City Council to adopt a new line item in the budget for a library and a building was donated. The donated building "resembled nothing more than a drab military bunker" according to the Friends. The group decided to wrap the building in a mural – the central feature being "find it @ your library®!" With the help of 42 volunteers, ranging in age from 6 to 79, 333 hours were logged on the project. The result is "an eye-catching reminder of the importance of our local libraries, where one can explore the world and find anything."

Friends of the Monroe Township Library in Monroe Township, New Jersey, received the 2005 award. This group celebrated National Library Week while highlighting the important service staff and Friends provide to the community. The Friends used the @ your library® campaign slogan along with ALA’s "READ" campaign as a model to develop posters of their own featuring staff members and Friend’s president Florence Spencer to show the public that "we are readers just like them!"

Friends groups of all sizes and types, including school, academic, and public library Friends groups, are encouraged to apply. Award information is available online at www.folusa.org, including the official entry form, guidelines, and details. Please call the FOLUSA office at (800) 936-5872 to verify eligibility. Mail entries, postmarked no later than November 15, 2005, to FOLUSA/Baker & Taylor Awards, 1420 Walnut Street, Suite 450, Philadelphia, PA 19102. The award will presented at the 2005 ALA Midwinter Meeting in San Antonio, Texas.